DREAM Act

Health, Safety & Security

Published on November 18th, 2011

Summary

All schools are expected to be safe, secure and void of health risks. Yet health, safety and security concerns continue to arise within our schools. While public schools receive state aid and are able to levy taxes to respond to these concerns, independent and religious schools are finding it increasingly difficult to respond to these concerns without additional funding. Moreover, there are numerous of health and safety related state mandates and standards for which our schools receive no reimbursement

Objective
Provide sufficient funding independent and religious schools to enable them to respond to the health, safety and security needs of their facilities.

Rationale

When parents send their children to school and when school employees come in to work, they have every expectation that the school facility will be safe, secure and free of health risks. And while schools are among the safest places, there is increasing concern over what potential risks may exist.

Time and time again, we learn after the fact that there may be potentially dangerous substances contained within building materials and equipment including asbestos, lead, mercury, etc. We are also learning of potentially harmful chemicals that may be used in cleaning products, pest control and even in science labs. Whether these health risks are latent or obvious and immediate, school officials want to eliminate them.

Moreover, the tragic incidences of violence within our some of our nation’s schools cause us to question the level of safety and security within every school. There have been tremendous advances in technology, security equipment as well as safety policies and practices that can enable school officials to be more proactive in controlling who has access to school buildings and classrooms. But in order to do so, an immediate infusion of funds is needed.

We urge the Governor and Legislature to provide $100 million dollars in grants to independent and religious schools enable them to respond to the health, safety and security needs of their school facilities.